


Trimming

by WolfRune20855



Series: The Basics of Broom Magic [5]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Tortall - Tamora Pierce
Genre: Alicia doesn't like Aldon, Friendship, Gen, Inspired by The Rigel Black Chronicles, It's September, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-16 20:34:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29706207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WolfRune20855/pseuds/WolfRune20855
Summary: Alicia Spinnet gets a letter.
Series: The Basics of Broom Magic [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2179386
Comments: 6
Kudos: 28





	Trimming

Sitting on the far side of the Great Hall, tucked into the very back where teachers couldn’t see them, Alicia Spinnet stared at the letter in her hands. Her perfectly plucked eyebrows scrunched together. Her bright red lips turned down in a frown as she read over the letter again. And once more after that to make sure the twins weren’t playing a joke on her. 

She glanced up at the two troublemakers in question to make sure that they weren’t waiting for something to happen. George launched a piece of toast at Fred’s head, which his twin easily ducked. They weren’t even pretending not to pay attention to her. It was real, then. Alicia’s frown deepened. Katie Bell was really considering collaborating with Caelum Lestrange.

This could be bad. 

“Whatcha reading?” Angelina peered over Alicia’s shoulder, trying to make out the words scribbled across the page in Katie’s atrocious handwriting. She obviously recognized the handwriting, because she said, “ _Ooh_. Katie’s writing. What’s she want?”

Alicia would protest that just because Katie was writing didn’t mean that she wanted something, but that would be a lie. Katie was horrible at keeping in touch over letters. Alicia had long since accepted it as one of her quirks, like Angelina and her snoring. Sometimes, friends were annoying. She’d give Katie a pass for her spotty letter writing. On the friend-offense-scale, Alicia’s faults ranked higher than Katie’s. Fancying your friend’s brother was worse than failing to communicate. 

“Apparently, she’s thinking of expanding business,” Alicia answered, “with Caelum Lestrange. She wants to know if she can trust him. Unfortunately, I don’t know him, so I can’t say.”

“You mean, fortunately,” Angelina corrected. 

“You’re right.” Alicia’s gaze flicked over Katie’s letter. “I don’t even know why she’s considering it.”

Angelina shrugged. “Katie’s blind when it comes to brooms. Always has been. If he’s offering to help her create something new, she’s not going to turn him down.” Angelina was right, of course. She usually was, much to Alicia’s annoyance.

Angelina had been Alicia’s best friend since they were born. Their parents were friends, and they took turns watching the kids every weekend so that one of the couples could have a date night. Angelina might as well have been Alicia’s sister. She’d been the rule-breaker when they were kids, getting them into trouble that Alicia had to get them out of. They’d ruined more than one cauldron in her father’s shop with their trouble-making. 

The Spinnets were the proud owners of Potage’s Cauldron Shop, which had been in the family for seven generations. While her mother worked at the Ministry, her father ran the shop, looking after finances in the small office in the attic. Right next door to Potage’s was Quality Quidditch Supplies. Alicia first met Katie in the alley behind their parents' shops when they were kids. She later became friends when she joined a pick-up quidditch game with some of the other shopkeeper’s kids. 

She’d also met Gilbert in that alley, but that was a different story. 

“I still wish I knew so I could tell her what to expect,” Alicia said. 

“Puppy knows,” Fred piped up, proving that the twins were paying more attention to their conversation than she’d thought. “Lestrange is his cousin.” 

“I don’t know Black.” Alicia’s parents had drilled good manors into her (even if she was rubbish as following them when angry). She wasn’t the type of witch who went around randomly asking people she hadn’t been introduced to about their estranged cousins. It felt wrong. 

George leaned forward on his elbows. “We’d be more than happy to introduce you.” 

Alicia’s eyes narrowed. “What do you want?”

“Us?”

“Why would we want anything?”

“Because we know you,” Angelina said. “We can’t help you with whatever you're planning. My mum will kill me if I got caught out after curfew again.”

“You’re no fun.” George pouted. Alicia thought she saw Angelina’s eye twitch. She would never understand her best friend’s crush on George. At least she was over her crush on Fred. That’d been worse, especially since Fred had noticed. Thankfully, George was clueless. 

“We don’t need your help-”

“Not at all.”

“What do you want?” Alicia said through clenched teeth. The back and forth from the twins could be annoying. 

“Simple,” said George, “An introduction for an introduction.”

“I think that’s fair,” added Fred. “Don’t you agree, Forge?”

“I do, Gred.”

Alicia was ready to bang their heads together. She threw up her hands in surrender. “Forget it. I’ll ask him myself.” Leaving her friends behind, she eyed the Great Hall, searching for the dark-haired teenager. She noticed him slipping out the doors with Malfoy and Parkinson. “Oi, Black.” Alicia ran to catch up with him. She wasn’t on the quidditch team for nothing. She caught up to him in the corridor. 

Rigel Black stared at her, clearly wondering why she was bothering him. She didn’t think she’d spoken to the Pureblood Champion before. She hadn’t ever had a reason to. “Can we talk?”

Malfoy looked ready to tell her to piss off, but one look at Rigel and he held his tongue. “Go on ahead,” Black said. “I’ll be fine.” Reluctantly, Malfoy and Parkinson left Black alone. 

Alicia suddenly felt very uncomfortable, alone in the corridor with a wizard two years younger than her. Summoning her Gryffindor courage, she plowed ahead. “I’m Alicia Spinnet. I’m a starting chaser for Gryffindor.”

“I knew you looked familiar,” Black said. “It’s nice to officially meet you.”

“Likewise.” Silence again. An awkward silence that Black seemed perfectly comfortable with. “Look, I was wondering what your thoughts on your cousin were.”

Black blinked. “You want to know what I think of Harry?”

“No.” Alicia couldn’t think why his thoughts immediately jumped to a witch he was rumored to be engaged to. She knew that some purebloods (such as the Blacks) weren’t against marrying their cousins, but she was pretty sure Potter wasn’t related by blood. “You’re cousin. Lestrange.”

“Oh.” Black looked relieved. “He’s-”

“Rigel!” Alicia groaned at the appearance of Aldon Rosier sans Edmund Rookwood. _That’s a shame,_ Alicia thought. She almost liked Rookwood. Rosier, on the other hand, was an ass. He glanced at Alicia, clearly annoyed by her presence as if _she_ were the one interrupting. “What are you doing?”

“None of your business, Rosier.” Alicia crossed her arms, her stance offensive. Black, on the other hand, obviously didn’t mind Rosier’s presence (or did a better job at tolerating it) as he answered, “Alicia was wondering about Caelum.”

“Really?” Rosier arched an eyebrow. “Why would that be?”

The way Alicia saw it she had three options: (1) tell Rosier to leave again (which he wouldn’t do) and leave herself instead, unable to get the answers she needed, (2) tell Rosier and Black her reasons, or (3) sock Rosier in the jaw. She quickly dismissed the first option, briefly fantasized about the third, then answered, “He’s offered to help a friend of mine with a business venture and she wanted me to make sure that he was trustworthy.”

“What friend?” Rosier demanded. 

Alicia paused. She didn’t know why Rosier was being so bothersome, but this could work in her favor. Wicked delight filled her chest. It wasn’t often a witch gained the upper hand with Rosier. She was going to use the advantage he’d accidentally given her. Twirling her dark red hair around her golden finger, Alicia smiled innocently. “Why, your cousin, of course.” Her smile grew as she watched the blood drain from his face.

Black turned to Rosier, curious. “I didn’t know you had a cousin.”

“I don’t,” Rosier said stiffly, glaring daggers at Alicia. She knew she’d be watching her back for weeks to come, but it was worth it for the glee she felt at the moment. 

“Oh, don’t be like that, _Aldon_ ,” Alicia said. “Every old family has to trim a few branches. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.” Her tone implied that he should be ashamed of it. The Spinnets didn't trim their tree.

“I’m not ashamed…” Rosier stopped himself mid-snarl. Alicia wondered what he was going to say. Despite his uptight attitude, Rosier wasn’t as big of a blood purist as some of his fellow classmates. Alicia wondered why that was. His family had obvious problems with it. Helena Bell’s fall from grace was proof enough of that. 

Instead of answering any of Alicia’s unasked questions, Rosier left with what little dignity he possessed. Alicia was almost impressed, except, well, he was _Aldon Rosier._ She came by her dislike of Rosier naturally, but being friends with Katie and Gilbert may have escalated it.

“What was that about?” Black asked.

“Doesn’t matter.” Alicia dismissed the question. “My friend, can she trust Lestrange?”

Black shrugged. “I don’t know Caelum that well. Harry knows him better. But, yes, I think so. His bark is far worse than his bite. He’ll probably only just put up with her if she’s not a pureblood. Actually, he’ll probably act the same regardless of blood status.”

“But he won’t harm her?”

Black shook his head. “No.”

“Thanks.” 

“This friend of yours who’s not Aldon’s cousin,” Black said as Alicia started to leave, “what’s her name?”

“Katie Bell,” Alicia answered. “She’s a halfblood.”

“Oh. What’s Caelum want with her?”

“He wants to help her make a broom.” Black’s grey eyes widened. Obviously, it wasn’t the answer he’d been expecting. Alicia didn’t care. Leaving Rigel Black in the middle of the hallway, she retreated to the Gryffindor Tower to relay Black’s response and to try to talk some sense into Katie’s thick skull.


End file.
